Say no to plastic. Get the High Town Bag.

Dear High Town shopkeeper, Thanks for checking out the High Town Bag scheme.

How does it work and what do you get?

You receive five free bags so that you can try out if High Town Bag is right for you and your customers. No catch. No obligation. Totally free. You can sell these for £2.50 per bag.

If you've run out of bags and would like to continue, you can buy them at cost price (currently £2.00 per bag). We'll pop into your shop from time to time to see if you've run out and would like new stock, or you can contact us.

Once we've sold off the prototype of the High Town Bag, we'll produce a fresh batch of bags. For supporting the project, you will get the name of your shop/business printed onto the back of the bag.

You help us make a big impact in reducing litter in High Town.

You help promote High Town as a great local place to shop.

And you and your customers save money on plastic bags.

What do we ask from you in return?

Encourage your customers to re-use their shopping bags.

Stop offering bags to your customers, unless they ask you for one.

Display and sell the High Town Bags in your shop.

And if you want to do even more, join the voluntary plastic bag charge of 5p and donate the proceeds to good causes (your shop or franchise might already have a policy on this).

Background about plastic bag chargingWe've re-posted information from www.gov.uk to give you more information about plastic bag charging, that starts on 5 October 2015. In 2013, supermarkets gave out over 8 billion single-use carrier bags across the UK. That is nearly 130 bags per person. This equates to about 57,000 tonnes of single-use carrier bags in total over the year. Discarded plastic bags are a very visible form of littering and can cause injury to marine wildlife. The effect of plastic bags on the environment goes beyond littering. They consume resources, including oil, in their creation. Even when disposed of responsibly, plastic bags can last for long periods of time in landfill sites.

When does plastic bag charging start? Carrier bag charges begin in England on 5 October 2015 as part of the policy to reduce waste.If you’re a large retailer the minimum price is 5p for most single-use plastic carrier bags. If you’re a small or medium-sized business you don’t have to charge, but you’re free to do so voluntarily. If you’re already charging 5p or more for bags you don’t need to charge an extra 5p. Fore more information, visit www.gov.uk on carrier bag charges retailers' responsibilities